THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary

President Clinton today announces nearly $60 million in new grants to help communities across the country save precious lands -- $40 million in land acquisition grants to create parks and save open space, and $18.6 million in Forest Legacy grants to protect private forest land threatened by development. The President also calls on Congress to approve the Lands Legacy initiative in his FY 2001 budget, which would dramatically increase funding for state and local conservation efforts and make it permanent, so communities can conserve additional lands year after year.

Saving Open Space Close to Home. In the FY 2000 budget, the President secured $652 million for Lands Legacy, an interagency initiative to protect land and coastal resources across America. This includes $141 million for a variety of programs that help state, tribal and local governments protect wildlife, restore urban parks, save threatened farmland, and preserve other local green spaces. Today the President announces funding to states under two of these programs:

Land Acquisition Grants -- A total of $40 million, distributed among all 50 states and the U.S. territories, to develop and acquire land for public recreation. These grants can be used to acquire land or easements for parks, greenways, wildlife habitat, or coastal wetlands. Funding must be matched 50-50 by states, resulting in a total investment of $80 million. This is the first year since 1995 that Congress approved funds for this program. The funds are allocated among the states primarily according to population.

Forest Legacy Grants -- A total of $18.6 million for 29 projects encompassing nearly 250,000 acres in 19 states and territories. These competitive grants are used to protect private forest land that provides critical wildlife habitat and is threatened by development. Protected lands can continue to be used for forestry and other compatible activities. States must provide at least a 25 percent match, resulting in a total investment of $25 million or more. Major projects this year include:

Sterling Forest, New York -- $2 million to protect additional forest along Sterling Lake, 40 miles northwest of New York City.

Papa Parcel, Hawaii -- $1 million to protect 2,000 acres of koa-̣hi à forest on lava flows in the South Kona area of the Big Island.

Building a Permanent Lands Legacy. In his budget for FY 2001, the President is proposing $1.4 billion for Lands Legacy -- a 93 percent increase and the largest one-year investment ever requested for conserving America’s lands. His proposal includes $521 million, almost four times current funding, for state and local conservation efforts, including: $150 million for land acquisition grants, $60 million for Forest Legacy grants, $30 million for restoring urban parks, $50 million for "smart growth" planning, and $100 million for a new program to protect non-game wildlife. In addition, the President is proposing a new budget category to ensure permanent funding of at least $1.4 billion in future years, with more than half the funding dedicated to state and local conservation efforts.

LANDS LEGACY FUNDING FOR THE STATES $40 Million in Land Acquisition Grants in FY 2000* February 14, 2000

President Clinton today announced $40 million in land acquisition grants for all 50 states and the U.S. territories. The grants can be used to acquire land or easements for parks, greenways, wildlife habitats, or coastal wetlands. Funding must be matched 50-50 by states, resulting in a total investment of at least $80 million.

State

Amount

State

Amount

Alabama

$635,406

New Hampshire

$396,787

Alaska

$351,448

New Jersey

$1,039,791

Arizona

$696,484

New Mexico

$433,148

Arkansas

$478,163

New York

$1,881,460

California

$3,170,885

North Carolina

$865,426

Colorado

$635,074

North Dakota

$353,623

Connecticut

$602,141

Ohio

$1,220,309

Delaware

$373,537

Oklahoma

$549,531

Florida

$1,584,888

Oregon

$559,556

Georgia

$876,415

Pennsylvania

$1,308,627

Hawaii

$405,739

Rhode Island

$400,023

Idaho

$386,470

South Carolina

$598,391

Illinois

$1,299,245

South Dakota

$356,263

Indiana

$762,634

Tennessee

$715,412

Iowa

$494,156

Texas

$1,918,411

Kansas

$492,307

Utah

$476,076

Kentucky

$568,420

Vermont

$346,201

Louisiana

$654,474

Virginia

$848,926

Maine*

$387,068

Washington

$773,060

Maryland

$756,076

West Virginia

$426,147

Massachusetts

$854,178

Wisconsin

$700,869

Michigan

$1,106,724

Wyoming

$340,660

Minnesota

$668,106

District of Col.

$81,662

Mississippi

$474,766

Puerto Rico

$540,193

Missouri

$717,057

Virgin Islands

$50,000

Montana

$360,369

Guam

$50,000

Nebraska

$424,026

American Samoa

$50,000

Nevada

$453,192

Northern Mariana Isl.

$50,000

Allocated to States

$38,000,000

Contingency* Fund*

$2,000,000

Total Appropriation

$40,000,000

*Land acquisition grants are apportioned among the states and territories primarily according to population. Authorizing legislation allows the Secretary of the Interior to reserve a portion of the annual appropriation for critical projects. This year’s contingency fund of $2 million is being committed to the state of Maine for the purchase of high-priority conservation easements or other interests in lands.